Rotary International Approves Support for Global Grant in Ghana

(March 19, 2021) Kofi Gyan from our Club’s International Humanitarian Projects Committee is the lead for a Global Grant recently approved by Rotary International! 

The project addresses the critical need for clean and potable water for the Kporkuve United Community in the Volta Region of Ghana. It is made up of nine adjoining villages with a population of about 12,000 people. Three mechanized boreholes similar to the one pictured here will directly impact 4,000 members of the community.

Currently, the community depends on a dam that was dug many years ago. The dam dries out quickly during the dry season and contains waterborne diseases making it unhygienic for community use. 

It also depends on two hand-dug wells that pose safety and hygiene issues, wells that are inadequate to serve the population. People in adjoining villages travel long distances to fetch water. Many of them–often students–queue for hours to fetch water before going to school. 

To address the shortage of potable water the community is at the mercy of a commercial water tanker that comes to the community twice a week. Community members pay for this water, often with the financial assistance of the Kporkuve United Community Welfare Union (an organization of community members now living in Accra). 

The importance of a reliable source of water for the Kporkuve United Community cannot be over emphasized, particularly in light of the current pandemic crisis. 

The host club, The Rotary Club of Ho, has selected Tedson Drilling & Construction, Ltd. to build the boreholes that will be strategically located in the Kporkuve community. The boreholes will provide 30,000 liters (10,000 per unit) of water at a time and will solve the perennial water problem. 

The International Humanitarian Projects Committee is deeply grateful for the support from members of our Club, District 6380 and The Rotary Club of Mount Clemons for making this project possible. 

In Ghana the projects is supported by the host, The Rotary Club of Ho; The Rotary Club of Kumasi East, Kumasi Rotary Club, District 9102 and the Kporkuve United Welfare Union.

 
Borehole similar to the three to be constructed with this Global Grant.
 
Mary Avrakotos
International Humanitarian Projects Committee
Rotary Club of Ann Arbor
(315) 806-0689 Cell